Panthers look to clinch No. 1 seed in Sun Belt

Top two seeds enter conference tourney in the semifinals.

The Sun Belt regular-season crown is on the line today. The scenario is simple.

For Georgia State (21-9, 12-5), a win against Georgia Southern (20-10, 12-5) in Statesboro would guar- antee the Panthers at least a tie for the regular-season title for the first time since 2015 and the No. 1 seed in next weekend’s conference tournament in New Orleans.

As a mid-major with lateMarch aspirations, this is the kind of game Georgia State has been waiting for all season.

“It’s a big game, but I feel relieved,” coach Ron Hunter said. “When you’ve got a veteran team, you spend all year trying to get them through the process of getting to March. Right now we’re playing our best bas- ketball.”

March isn’t just about play, though. It’s the time of year when mentality is crucial as temperatures start to rise on and off the court.

“Everyone’s true competitive nature is about to come out,” said the Panthers’ lead- ing scorer D’Marcus Simonds, who scored 29 points in a 8172 win over Georgia Southern in early February.

“When we play Southern, a lot can happen,” Simonds added. “The crowd can influence the play. We just have to lock in and execute as we would in the conference tournament or the NCAA.”

Simonds averages 18.9 points, but Georgia South- ern also has a talented scorer. Senior guard Tookie Brown averages 17.8 points.

“You just have to deny him the ball,” said sophomore guard Kane Williams, who guarded Brown primarily in the first matchup. “He’s a great offensive mind, but we have to make sure he doesn’t get a lot of touches and make everyone else perform at a higher rate.”

Williams played 36 min- utes in the first game, up from his season average of 31, mostly for his ability to defend Brown. The Eagles guard scored only 11 points against Williams and the Pan- thers, which was a key part of the win.

Hunter has been trying to make sure his team doesn’t get too caught up in this game, knowing the conference tournament next weekend is more important no matter the outcome of today’s clash in Statesboro. He is the first to point out that in the past 14 seasons, the regular-season champion has won the Sun Belt Tournament only twice.

“I don’t want to make this bigger than what it is” Hunter said. “I want these guys to relax, have fun and go out and play.”

In his eyes, the most important thing the Panthers are playing for is an accomplishment that is separate from the relatively meaningless regular-season title.

“What this team wants to do is win at Georgia Southern. These seniors have accomplished a lot, but one of the things left on the resume is to go there and win,” Hunter said. “To do it on their senior night with a championship on the line? Yeah, our guys have talked about that.”

The worst-case scenario for GSU is a loss and a Texas State win today against Texas-Arlington, which would leave the Panthers as the No. 3 seed in the tournament. The No. 2 seed enters the tournament in the semifinals, and the No. 3 seed in the quarterfinals.

The stage is set. A regular-season championship is on the line for both teams, and bragging rights follow just behind. There may be more in store next weekend in New Orleans, but either way, this is the type of game basketball lovers live for.

“I’m really happy for our seniors,” Hunter said. “This is how you want to go out with this as your last true road game. I’m actually a little jealous. This is when I miss being a player. I would love to play in this game.”

‘When we play Southern, a lot can happen. The crowd can influence the play. We just have to lock in and execute as we would in the conference tournament or the NCAA.’

D’Marcus Simonds, Georgia State guard